By Any Other Name

Thursday night, I went to the Horseshoe to see country singer Whitney Rose. Since her move to Texas, this ex-PEI, ex-Toronto musician hasn't been seen much in these parts. So unlike her old weekly gigs at the Cameron House, this was one of the rare chance to see Rose. Her tour was to promote a new EP, written about her new home, called South Texas Suite.

Her regular house band, and sometimes tour mates, south of the border are composed of long-time musicians. Though accomplished, on-line clips show a bit of a laissez faire attitude. So I was happy to see this tour band was a group of young musicians, including her old lead guitarist Nichol Robertson. They brought a lot of energy to the songs and the dueling guitar solos would give any rock show a run for its money.

With a 20+ song set, Rose didn't do a lot of banter. Her rollicky, fast-paced, old-country tunes were her strength such as The Devil Wear My Boots and My Boots (She loves her boots including her signature rose ones that she wore underneath her black dress). Slower numbers were a bit hit and miss. There were some good ones, but none really approached the classics she covered like Stand By Your Man. There was often an retro vibe to the composition so it was appropriate she has a new song called Analog. With a 3rd LP in the works, this could be the year Rose breaks out into the mainstream.